-stan Totally Explained

Everything about -stan totally explained

The suffix -stān (spelled ـستان in the Perso-Arabic script) is Persian for "place of", derived from the Indo-Aryan equivalent, -sthāna ((स्थान in the Devanāgarī script), a cognate Sanskrit suffix with a similar meaning. In Indo-Aryan languages, sthāna is also used as a word to mean "place".
They appear in the names of many countries and regions, especially in Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, areas where ancient Indo-Iranian peoples were established; in Iranian, however, it's also used more generally, as in Persian rigestan (ريگستان) 'place of sand, desert' and golestan (گلستان) 'place of roses, rose garden', Hindi/Sanskrit devasthan (place of devas, "temple"), etc. Both suffixes are of Indo-Iranian and ultimately Indo-European origin, the Proto-Indo-European root being *stā- 'stand,' which is also the source of English stand, Latin stāre, and Greek histamai (ίσταμαι), all meaning 'stand,' as well as many other words, for instance the Russian word стан (stan) meaning 'settlement' or 'semi-permanent camp' (used in reference to semi-nomadic settlements encountered in certain areas of Central Asia) or in other Slavic languages such as Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian where stan means 'apartment'. Also in Germanic languages the suffix has survived, for example in the words Stadt (German), stad (Dutch/Danish) and stêd (West Frisian), all meaning 'city'.
The suffix -stan occurs in the following names, mostly geographical or pseudo-geographical:

Continent

Frangistan
Subcontinent
Hindustan

Countries

Pakistan

Uzbekistan

Autonyms

Hayastan, the name of Armenia in Armenian

Regions

Avaristan — Avari name for Avari land in Dagestan (Russia)

Balawaristan — another name for the Northern Areas, Pakistan.

Balochistan or Baluchistan

Sistan and Baluchistan, Province of Iran
Balochistan, Province of SW Pakistan
Baluchistan States Union

Baltistan (in Pakistani Kashmir)

Bantustan — Apartheid-era South African black 'homelands'; the term is coined by an analogy

Bashkortostan — constituent republic of Russia

Cholistan Desert

Dagestan — constituent republic of the Russian Federation, literally "place of mountains"

East Pakistan (or East Bengal, historic name for pre-independence Bangladesh)

Gulistan ("rose garden" in Persian, an Iranian province and a city in Uzbekistan; compare with Gulistan Palace in Tehran and the poem by Saadi)

Hindustan - originally either the subcontinent of India, or northern India and Pakistan.

Kabulistan — ("The Kabul land" — old term used in many historical books and old Persian literature books for Kabul. Kabulistan contained a larger region than today's Kabul Province. Some times it's called as the country of Kabulistan)

Kafiristan — ("land of the infidels"), historic region in Afghanistan until 1896, now known as Nuristan

Karakalpakstan — constituent republic of Uzbekistan

Khuzestan — a province of southwestern Iran

Kurdistan — Kurdish region

Kordestan - a Kurdish province in Iran

Lazistan — another name for Colchis, a region in the Caucasus

Lorestan or Luristan — a province of western Iran

Nurestan Province — Afghanistan, formed in 2001

Pashtunistan or Pakhtunistan is what many Pashtun nationalists call the Pashtun-dominated areas of Pakistan.

Rajasthan — a state in India

Registan — historic site in Samarkand, meaning "place of sand"

Seistan or Sistan — a province of Iran and Afghanistan

Tatarstan — a constituent republic of the Russian Federation

Talyshistan - ethnolinguistic region in the SE Caucus and NW Iran

Turkestan — ethnolinguistic region encompassing Central Asia, northwest China, parts of the Caucasus and Asia Minor

Russian Turkestan - Turkestan in the Russian Empire, later Turkestan Autonomous SSR

Waziristan — region of northwest Pakistan

Zabulistan — a historical region in the border area of today's Iran and Afghanistan, around the city Zabol

Zanjistan, or Zenjistan, term used in medieval texts to refer to the homeland of the Zanj, black slaves of probably East African origin

Proposed names

Khalistan, a proposed country created from areas with a Sikh majority, had enjoyed considerable support.

Dravidistan, a proposed southern Indian country covering the modern Tamil Nadu, and its neighbouring states.

Uyghuristan — (variants East Turkestan & Uighurstan) proposed ethnic name for Xinjiang, People's Republic of China Other proposed names include Dalitstan, Mughalstan, and other similar names that originated on the Dalitstan website.

Fictional

Adjikistan — a fictional central Asian country in the videogame .

Aldastan — a fictional central Asian country consisting of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, from .

Ardistan — from the novel Ardistan and Dschinnistan by Karl May.

Avgatiganistan — a pun of 'Afghanistan', it means 'Fried eggs' ('Avga tiganita') in Greek. Fictional country by author Eugene Trivizas.

Azadistan - From the anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam 00.

Bazrakhistan - a fictional former Soviet republic in the movie Act of War (1998) starring Jack Scalia.

Berzerkistan - a fictional republic run by a genocidal terrorist godhead in the comic strip Doonesbury.

Belgistan - fictional Middle Eastern country in the anime Gasaraki.

Carjackistan - used occasionally in the comic strip Tank McNamara.

Derkaderkastan — fictional Middle Eastern country in .

Franistan — fictional country referred to in the television show I Love Lucy.

Helmajistan — fictional area from the anime Full Metal Panic!.

Howduyustan ("how do you stand?") — fictional country from Uncle Scrooge comic book stories.

Iranistan — an oriental region of Hyborea (Conan the Barbarian stories).

Istan — a fictional island state in the online role-playing game, Guild Wars Nightfall.

Kerakhistan - a fictional Middle Eastern country featured in the tabletop miniature wargame Battlefield Evolution.

Kreplachistan — fictional country in the movie . ("Kreplach" — Eastern European Jewish dish consisting of meat-filled dumplings.)

Pianostan — fictional country mentioned in an episode of Inspector Gadget.

Zekistan — a fictional central Asian nation in the video game Full Spectrum Warrior.

Satirical

Absurdistan — sometimes used to satirically describe a country where everything goes wrong.

Boratistan — name used by Kazakh press secretary Roman Vasilenko to describe an image of Kazakhstan created by Sacha Baron Cohen's character, Borat.

Canuckistan, Soviet Canuckistan — derogatory nickname of Canada.

Ethniclashistan — sometimes used satirically to describe countries in which multiple ethnic groups were thrown together, who then began fighting each other, for example Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union. It was featured in the satirical The Onion newspaper in June, 2001 as being placed in the West Bank in the article Northern Irish, Serbs, Hutus Granted Homeland In West Bank (here spelled Ethniklashistan)

Incumbistan - introduced by columnist Mark Steyn to refer to the efforts of politicians of all parties to unite to enact rules seen as assuring their continued reelection (External Link

Londonistan — the British capital of London was given this sobriquet by French counter-terrorism agents.

Londonistan (book) A book that sounds a warning about how the culture of the United Kingdom is being changed by a high concentration of immigrants.

Nukhavastan — fictional country created by The Onion that has nuclear weapons.

The three Jetlag parody travel guides contain faux ads for guides to other countries, each with a -stan reference. Molvanîa contains an ad for "Surviving Moustaschistan" (mentioning also "Carpetstan"), Phaic Tăn contains an ad for "Sherpastan", and San Sombrèro contains an ad for "Tyranistan".

Other

Bimaristan, a kind of hospital in medieval Persia.

Hamastan, a concept of a Palestinian Islamist theocracy with Sharia as government law.

Islamistan, means 'Land of Islam', used in various contexts.

Registan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in central Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Citations

Further Information

Get more info on '-stan'.

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